Gene editing video

Can't stop the feeding!: http://youtu.be/C0MBl0BANHg

Dollars from the Dustbin. (by Ifeoma Comfort Ndefo)

Nigeria is a country blessed with rich natural and material resources. Imagine that even the waste products generated from the enormous human activity of a population of over 160 million people could be used to generate electricity, create jobs and wealth; using the Biogas  technology.

Picture of Refuse Dump by Ifeoma Ndefo

 In a seminar recently organized by the Environmental Biotechnology Department of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), a Nigerian expert on Biogas, living in the USA, Dr Felix Afumuzo Ukponu, President and CEO of Hermesmann L.L.C, USA, explained that Biogas is one of today’s cheapest and safest renewable energies. It is produced from plants, animals, and human waste. Substrates from refuse dumps are important raw materials for the production of electricity, useful for small generator fuels and cooking gas at exceedingly low prices.

According to Ukponu, Biogas is a mixture of sixty percent methane and about 30-40% carbon-dioxide. It contains about 60% methane that can be used to generate electricity or used for heat or for fuel for vehicles. Any animal manure, human sewage or food waste will produce methane during anaerobic digestion.
Biogas can be "cleaned" to yield purified methane that can be used in the natural gas pipelines. Methane from biogas is an excellent alternative energy source. Using methane for energy helps the environment by replacing the use of non-renewable fossil fuels with renewable energy and by taking the methane out of the atmosphere. Methane is a greenhouse gas that has 21 times the
heating effect as carbon dioxide. Biogas methane is renewable unlike natural gas which is mined from underground wells and is a non-renewable fossil fuel.

As world economic powers shift the pendulum of global oil business from fossil fuel to more environmentally friendly alternatives like Biogas, major oil dependent economies like Nigeria are faced with the challenge to restrategise to evolve new energy forms and sources that offer comparative and competitive advantages.

Dr Afumuzo Ukponu , reiterated that agricultural products like corn serves as veritable raw materials for the process. He also added that the enormous wastes littering and polluting our environment are potential raw materials for Biogas, capable of creating plum jobs for numerous unemployed youths in Nigeria.

In her response, the Director- General, NABDA, Prof (Mrs.) Lucy J. Ogbadu, described the Biogas technology as simple and applicable within the Agency. She stated that

inspite of the prospect of supplying environmentally friendly electricity for NABDA and surrounding communities; the Biogas project would provide the much needed technology transfer and capacity building for young NABDA scientific officers. She therefore, affirmed NABDA’s interest in collaborating with Hermesmann L.L.C, USA on the Biogas project.

Biotechnology Solutions for today's problems

Whenever and however the war on the dreaded Ebola virus is won; the roles and impact of biotechnology tools and medicines used for fighting the scourge will always be remembered.

 Zmapp, an experimental drug belonging to a US Biotechnology Company, Mapp Biopharmaceutical Incorporated, administered to two American medical missionaries, Dr Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol infected in Liberia, was the first to offer a ray of hope that the Ebola disease was not a death sentence afterall; as the patients recovered and returned to their families and normal lives.

The serum, never tested on humans before, was administered to the two Americans within 7-10 days of their exposure to the virus, broke the jinx of helplessness, and demystified the disease said to be without a known cure.

 As casualty rates increased to over 1000 lives in West Africa and leaving many more infected, the World Health Organisation( WHO) panel of medical ethics experts ruled that it was ethical to administer unproven drugs or vaccines to people infected with, or at risk of, Ebola virus.

Consequently, the requests for Zmapp and similar experimental drugs rose beyond possible supply limits. The US government’s announcement of insufficient doses of Zmapp to meet demand of affected West African countries was viewed by some people as an attempt by the West to withhold help from poor African countries.

However, whatever the arguments or questions, the Ebola scourge, certainly, tells a story, sends a message and teaches a lesson. It simply shows that in a world that has become a global village, good and bad exchanges occur. Diseases and disasters can penetrate borders and permeate boundaries. Epidemics have potentials of occurring in different parts of the globe within the same time.

 As a result, no one would leave the smoke sprouting in his house to come and put out the fire in another man’s house. Africa should as a matter of urgency grow to live up to the expectation of her survival and sustainability.

 It is time to take advantage of new science and technology that proffer solutions for today’s problem s. The Biotechnology experimental drug in the treatment of infected victims of the Ebola virus is phenomenal. As a set of techniques that employ organisms, or parts of it, to make or modify products; Biotechnology is applicable in Agriculture, Medicine, Environment, and Industry.

It behoves on the poor countries of Africa to copy these technologies that make the West the strong and developed entities that they are today. And a stitch in time, they say, saves nine. (Written by Ifeoma Comfort Ndefo)

NABDA Ebola Testing Kit

In a concerted effort to join in the war waged by the Federal Government of Nigeria against the dreaded Ebola virus, the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology through her National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), in collaboration with Bioneer Corporation of South Korea, recently, presented to stakeholders and Nigerian scientists a new Ebola Molecular Diagnostic kit.

The kit showcased at the workshop on Molecular Diagnosis and Treatment of Hemorrhagic and zoonotic Viral Diseases, recently organised by NABDA in Abuja, is a faster and more effective facility for testing blood samples of patients, with optimum safety standards.

In his opening remarks, the Honourable Minister of Science and Technology,        Dr Abdu Bulama reiterated the high premium placed on eradication of the deadly ebola disease from Nigeria, and commended NABDA’s proactive step in providing formidable scientific solution in the fight against the Ebola scourge.

Furthermore, the Director-General NABDA, Prof(Mrs) Lucy Jumeyi  Ogbadu explained that as soon as the genome of the Ebola Virus was sequenced and published on the internet in March 2014, the Agency commenced work on possible biotechnology and scientific interventions in the prevention and control of the spread of the disease in Nigeria.

She added that if not for the unfortunate sudden entrance of the infected Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, into the country; the initiative taken by NABDA to constitute a multidisciplinary and multi – agency science based solutions would have been in place before the disease appeared in Nigeria.

Similarly, Prof Abdusalami Nasidi, DG National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), narrated the journey so far in curbing the spread of the disease in Nigeria, alluding that with fervency and commitment shown so far by the federal government of Nigeria, the country would likely eradicate the disease in a few weeks.   (Written by Ifeoma Comfort Ndefo)

The African Spurred tortoise and threats of extinction.

The African spurred tortoise is one of Nigeria’s most endangered species.It is vigorously hunted and used for several cultural and commercial purposes. A few surviving ones are preserved in protected areas such as the national parks and zoos .

According to an ARKive report, The African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata) is the largest tortoise of the African mainland, and is surpassed in size only by the giant island species from Aldabra and Galápagos . This desert-dwelling tortoise is well camouflaged by its overall sandy coloration, having thick golden to yellow-brown skin and a brownish carapace . The African spurred tortoise has a broad, oval carapace which displays prominent serrations at the front and back margins and conspicuous growth rings on each scute, which become particularly marked with age . Large, overlapping scales cover the front surface of the forelimbs, while the hind surface of the thigh bears two or three large conical spurs, from which the species earns its name. African spurred tortoise populations have declined rapidly in the face of habitat loss, particularly in Mali, Chad, Niger and Ethiopia, largely as a result of urbanisation, overgrazing by domestic livestock and desertification. Several ethnic groups in the Sahel, especially nomadic tribes, eat the African spurred tortoise. The already vulnerable position of the species has been compounded in recent years by an increase in capture for international trade, as pets and for body parts reportedly used to make longevity potions in Japan.  It is primarily juvenile African spurred tortoises that are captured for trade and, as this species takes 15 years to reach maturity, there is grave concern that generations in the wild may be unable to renew themselves, resulting in extinction of local population.

DNA BARCODING TO INCREASE AUTHENTICITY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS

The need and use of medicinal plants in Nigeria is growing at a tremendous rate. Whether for food or as medicines for ailments ranging from common cold, malaria and even  more complicated health problems such as hypertension and diabetes, Nigerians of all ages and classes find it easier to consume the herbal remedies produced from medicinal plant.

Picture of Herbarium at the National Parks Service, Abuja, Nigeria. Taken by Comfort Ndefo

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines traditional medicine as the

sum total of all the knowledge and practical, whether explicable or not, used in the diagnosis, prevention and elimination of physical, mental or social imbalance and relying exclusively on practical experience and observation handed down from generation to generation, whether verbally or in writing. Traditional medicine might also be considered as a solid amalgamation of dynamic medical know how and ancestral experience.

 These traditional medicines are adjudged as potent by their users.  However , oftentimes, problems arise from consumption of  either overdose, under dose or even some natural toxins within the plant due lack of scientific information of the components of the plant.

According to, a postdoctoral fellow and College of Arts & Sciences alumni, Dr. Allan Showalter, “Misidentifications or adulteration of authenticated materials can lead to reduced effectiveness of herbal products or accidental poisonings. Barcoding provides a way to confirm the identification of raw plant material and establish a level of quality assurance.

The DNA Barcoding is an exciting new tool for taxonomic research. The   DNA barcode is a very short, standardized DNA sequence in a well-known gene. It provides a way to identify the species to which a plant belongs.

Barcoding is generating a global, open access library of reference barcode sequence which enables non-taxonomists to identify specimens.

Roan Antelope Hunted by Poachers

The Roan Antelope is one of the animals commonly hunted by poachers in Nigeria. So many are being killing and traded by the bush meat merchants . Skin and Head of Roan Antelope Unfortunately , sometimes the animal is already killed before the security operatives of the National parks get there. The Roan Antelope formerly occurred very widely in the savanna woodlands and grasslands of sub-Saharan Africa, but has been eliminated from large parts of its former range. Remarkably, the species remains locally common in West and Central Africa, while in East and southern Africa, the traditional antelope strongholds, the species is now very rare. The species is now locally extinct in Burundi, Eritrea and possibly Gambia. It was also eliminated from Swaziland and later reintroduced to the privately owned Mkhaya Nature Reserve. The Roan Antelope has been eliminated from large parts of its former range because of poaching and loss of habitat to the expansion of settlement, and now survives mainly in and around protected areas and in other areas with low densities of people and livestock. Its persistence in West Africa is probably due to its ability to withstand illegal hunting pressures better than many other large herbivores, especially the more water dependant and more sedentary species which are more exposed to poaching (East 1999; Chardonnet and Crosmary in press).

West African Crowned Crane gradually diminishing in Nigeria.

The West African Crowned Crane (Balearica pavonina)is number 58 on the Nigerian list of priority endangered species.It forms part of the documented species in  the global open access library being generated by the DNA barcoding initiative.

When the Endangered Fights Back.

Picture of Broken Head of an Antelope that killed a driver who ran into it while crossing a road in one of the National parks in Nigeria. The Antelope broke its head and died with the man that caused the accident.Antelopes are one of the most endangered species in Nigeria. It is usually hunted by the bush meat traders and poachers. Little wonder, they become violent in any encounter with a perceived attacker.

Cross River Bush Baby (Galago cameronensis)Tops Nigeria’s list.

Top on the priority list of Nigeria’s over two hundred most endangered species, submitted for the Barcode of Wildlife Project is the Cross River Bush Baby (Galago cameronensis).

It is a species of primate in the Galagidae family. It lives in southeastern Nigeria and also found in neighbouring northwestern Camaroun.Its head and body length is 7 inches with a 10 inch tail. It is a nocturnal animal; it carries out its activities in the night and sleeps during the day. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed senses of hearing and smell, and specially adapted eyesight. It is one of the most endangered species in Sub-Saharan Africa, where a lot of primates are hunted for bush meat trade.
The Nigerian endangered species list is part of the fulfillment of set goals of the Barcode of Wildlife Project to create a public library and data base of 10,000 species for use by regulatory agencies, enforcement agencies and scientists in determining forensic evidence in wildlife crimes.

Beyond the Bush Meat Trade-DNA Barcoding profers Solutions

Like most African countries, indiscriminate trade and consumption of bush meat is very common. Most major markets in the country have the bush meat openly displayed for sale. Hunters kill gorillas, primates and all kinds of wild animals available to them either as a cultural feat or for commercial purposes .At the point of sale the animals are already killed, processed and sometimes dried or ground to powder, thereby making it difficult to identify by mere physical observation.

The Barcode of wild life project (BWP), initiated by the Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) is a new tool that enables law enforcement agents to distinguish bush meat in local markets gotten from endangered species.  

Though, trade in Bush meat is seen by some as a harmless commercial activity, it is illegal and has put over 90% of wild animals in Africa in danger of extinction. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) concluded on 3 March 1973 and entered into force after ratification by 10 States, on 1 July 1975; seeks to conserve biodiversity and contribute to its sustainable use by ensuring that no species of wild fauna or flora becomes or remains subject to unsustainable exploitation through international trade, thereby contributing to the significant reduction of the rate of biodiversity loss. Nigeria is a party to the Cites regulations and as such employs all national and international laws and protocols open to her to fight wildlife crimes such as bush meat trade.